Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson Jr. speaking at the City Club in Los Angeles, on December 3, 2019 Earl Gibson III / AP
An attempt is underway in Los Angeles to replace Los Angeles Police Department officers with unarmed law enforcement agencies who will be responsible for responding to “nonviolent service calls,” Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson Jr. announced Tuesday.
“We need to reorganize public safety in the 21st century. One that reduces the need for an armed police presence, especially when the situation does not always need it,” Wesson said in a statement about the motion that he and his colleagues developed today.
Wesson, the first African-American president of the Los Angeles City Council, said the police had switched from the solution section to the part of the problem and “may not have the best equipment” to respond to non-emergency situations.
“This call needs to be directed to workers with special training who are better equipped to handle the situation,” Wesson said. “My colleague Nury Martinez and I call for a systematic crisis response plan to replace police presence in non-criminal situations with unarmed service providers including medical professionals, mental health workers, homeless outreach workers and others with special training.”
Read Wesson’s tweet about the motion:
Some background: At least seven Los Angeles police officers was removed from their fieldwork after using excessive force during recent protests, the police department told CNN on June 10.
The move was taken when police throughout the country were denouncedviolent response to demonstrators protesting police brutality. Critics have pointedthe use of tear gas, rubber bullets and in some cases, physical measures as an example of excessive force.
“The Los Angeles Police Department continues to investigate allegations of violations, violations of Department policies, and excessive force during the recent civil unrest,” the police said in a statement.
The department has assigned 40 investigators to “examine every complaint thoroughly” and “hold every officer responsible for their actions,” the department said. Fifty-six complaints are currently under investigation, with 28 involving alleged use of force, Los Angeles police said.
